‘What happens next’ more important than the fate of the Assad regime, Russian president says

Newsroom

Related Topics

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia realizes changes in Syria are needed but is concerned that the push to unseat President Bashar Assad’s regime could plunge the country even deeper into violence, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

At his annual hours-long news conference, Putin said Moscow stands for a settlement that would prevent the country from breakup and “an endless civil war.”

“Agreements based on a military victory can’t be effective,” he said.

Russia has repeatedly blocked international attempts to step up pressure on the Assad regime as it fights an increasingly strong-armed opposition. That has brought substantial criticism of Russia as effectively supporting the regime, but Russia has said its stance isn’t aimed at propping up Assad.

“We are not preoccupied that much with the fate of the Assad regime; we realize what’s going on there and that the family has been in power for 40 years,” Putin said. “Undoubtedly, there is a call for changes.”

“We are worried about another thing: what happens next,” he said. “We don’t want to see the opposition come to power and start fighting the government that becomes the opposition, so that it goes on forever.”

Russia wants “people to come to an agreement on how they will live further and how they will ensure their safety and their participation in governing the country and then start changing the current order based on those agreements,” Putin said.